The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

I have an ongoing tradition where I reread my favorite books during stressful times. Since School has been my life for…well, a long time, I have made it a habit to sink into a great book every semester when finals begins. I realize I graduated and finals has become a distant memory, but this is one of my favorite tradition so it will live on. In honor of my first finals week away from school I decided to read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

This book easily makes the top 10 of my favorite books period. It’s the tale of a wealthy beautiful young man who upon seeing a painting of himself distresses that he will one day age and this painting will mock the youth he once held. He then wishes that he could trade his soul for the ability to transfer his age onto his painted image while he remains young forever.

After this wish is made, our innocent leading fellow begins a friendship with Lord Henry, a devilish man who believes life should be spent perusing pleasure.  Dorian follows Henry’s lead into a life of debauchery, but is amazed to find his painting has taken on the evil that has encompassed his soul while his face remains unblemished.  

This book can be read in several ways, but I believe it is a critique on Wilde’s society filled with men wearing masks of innocents while living depraved lives. When this book was published, critiques called it immoral which is hilarious because in this story Dorian accuses Henry of corrupting him with a book and Henry’s reply is “The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.”

He went on to say “Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.”

I could literally quote this book all day and you will be hard pressed to make it through a page without finding a witty truth about life reminiscent of Jane Austen's works, but with a darker edge.  

So make A Picture of Dorian Gray part of your summer reading, you will not regret it. 

Rating: 5/5

-Lora